Inmate thanks jail nurse for saving his life

George Turner was playing basketball at DeSoto County Jail when he collapsed.

"He was not breathing, no vital signs, no pulse, no heart rate," said the jail nurse, Ashley Foster.

(WMC-TV) - It is not often that an inmate showers jail staff with praise, but that is what one man is doing in DeSoto County after going into cardiac arrest behind prison walls.

George Turner was playing basketball at DeSoto County Jail when he collapsed.

"He was not breathing, no vital signs, no pulse, no heart rate," said the jail nurse, Ashley Foster.

"Immediately we started CPR. Somebody went and got the AED, somebody cut his shirt off, somebody called 911 immediately," added jail administrator Chad Wicker, who took over chest compressions while Foster shocked Turner's failing heart. "This is the first time in a real life setting we've done this."

"When I awakened again, I was on the gymnasium floor. Nurse Ashley was reviving me at the time," recalled Turner.

Without a trained jail staff, it is possible the 56-year-old could have died.

Turner is serving time as a habitual drug offender, trying to change his ways behind prison walls.

"I'm just being careful about things and making sure I know my maker before I do die," he said.

Ashley Foster is giving credit to her coworkers, like Wicker, for training her to respond the way she did.

"I haven't stopped thanking her yet, I thank her every day right now," said Turner.

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